The Rachel Files: Jack's Christmas Miracle
by VisualIDentificationZeta
Summary: JackOther SUMMARY: Miracles come at the strangest times and in the strangest places. And when Jack took part in the SGC's Christmas party he had no idea he'd get a miracle that would forever change his life. . . COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Jack's Christmas Miracle

AUTHOR: Vid Z.

PAIRINGS: non-canon: Jack/FemOriginalOther; canon: Sam/Shanahan

TIMELINE: Season 7, after Heroes and before Lost City (let's pretend that there was Christmas between those two eps)

CATEGORY: fluff, Romance, Angst

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show Stargate: SG-1 are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: this is the first finished fic of a series of Jack/Other fics I'm writing. They all take place after Chimera and have Sam/Shanahan in them. Because I honestly don't see Jack and Sam ever working out after Chimera and frankly don't want Sam with Jack and don't believe she deserves him, not after she'd hurt him so much by dropping Jack and taking up with Shanahan and then so callously and insensitively informing him of her affair with the younger man (don't get me started on her behaviour with Shanahan and the way she tortured Jack with that ring in Affinity, pretending to give him a chance to speak, while fully knowing that the regs were still there and that she'd been with another man for months after having hurt Jack).

And since I'm a Jack fan over a Jack/Sam shipper, my main wish is for Jack to be happy even if that isn't with Sam. That's how this new female character came about.

And don't worry, even though I'm bitter over Chimera and Sam's actions and words in that ep and all the eps after that, there is ABSOLUTELY NO Sam bashing in this fic.

AUTHOR'S NOTES, THE SECOND COMING: this fic has a brief mention of a past relationship between Jack and Janet, before the SGC. It was a pretty good and the only explanation for all those moments between them on the show, especially the pretty private and affectionate scene in Jack's holding room in Broca Divide and of course the fact that she let him get away with so much. But don't worry, it's just about a past relationship. This part is short because there was no other way of cutting the fic.

SUMMARY: Miracles come at the strangest times and in the strangest places. And when Jack took part in the SGC's Christmas party he had no idea he'd get a miracle that would change his life.

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Jack was leaning against the wall of the commissary, observing the party. His usually watchful eyes were skimming over the collected personnel lazily, since there was no danger here and he could drop his guard.

For the first time in years he was adrift, floating without a tether. It was Christmas and he was at a Christmas party, but he felt no need to celebrate the holiday.

It was mainly the first Christmas since Janet had died, since Sam had decided she didn't want him anymore and had moved on, the first Christmas after 7 years that he had no reason to hope, no reason to live, past merely existing.

Janet, his lover from before the SGC and after his divorce, had died and he hadn't been able to prevent it. His grief was like an iron fist squeezing his heart till he thought he might just die. True, they had decided to break it off when they'd found out that she was getting transferred to the SGC and had been great as friends ever since (this being the reason why he was the only one she allowed to get away with so much, even affectionate petnames like the Napoleonic Needle Monger). Now she was dead and with everything else that had happened he wished he could've died in her place.

The main reason for this sentiment was stading on the other side of the room with her newest boyfriend, for whom she had begged and received permission to come to the party. Jack secretly wondered how long this one would last before croaking. Sam's reputation as the Black Widow was not made up, as every single one of her boyfriends and fiancees to date had died. The only reason why Jack was still living was probably because they'd never gotten together. And honestly Jack would've preferred death to the pain that was these days making it almost impossible to breathe. He'd been rejected before, just like anyone else, but this one hurt more than any else. Probably because she'd given him hope for another chance at happiness, another chance at family, and had then taken it away forever without so much as a forewarning or apology.

As he took a sip of his Guiness Jack wondered what Sam, such an intelligent woman, even saw in Shanahan.

He was neither intelligent nor good looking. In fact, looking into the man's dull eyes and at his stupid grin, Jack wondered if Shanahan's IQ was even in the triple numbers. He doubted it. Even physically he was nothing desirable, the least physically developed guy in the room, even most of the women here had a better muscle definition and wider shoulders. Heck, _Daniel_ could easily wipe the floor with the cop, even when drunk, and that was saying everything. Yup, the archeologist was still a geek through and through, but at least he was now a buffed up geek. Something that couldn't be said about the cop with his shoulders the width of a child's, flabby body and too-big-for-his-body head. Had Sam been exposed to too many handsome and well developed men and had gone crazy or developed an aversion towards such men? That would explain her throwing away what she and Jack had had and then choosing Pete of all things...

Jack's gaze then went to the aforementioned archeologist where he stood by Sam, talking to her. Judging by the grimace on the younger man's face he wasn't keen on the newcomer either, but was making an effort for Sam's sake. Unlike Jack and Teal'c. Jack was keeping his distance because he wasn't trusting himself not to say anything that would make Sam angry at him and partly because he didn't trust himself not to make a fool of Pete and challenge him to arm-wrestling, where he'd make a fool of the cop; or challenge him to an intellectual challenge, where he'd again make a fool of his nemesis. He was sure Carter wouldn't appreciate that and for the sake of their friendship and mostly because of the team Jack stayed away.

Looking at Teal'c he saw the other man's lips curled up in disgust whenever his eyes found Shanahan. Teal'c had told Jack, Daniel and Hammond a few months ago that he didn't approve of Sam's choice. His exact words had namely been. "I do not believe PeterShanahan is a worthy mate for MajorCarter." Jack knew that coming from T-man those words had been a gross understatement of what the big man truly thought.

Jack knew that both SG-1 men were in Jack's corner on this and he was grateful to them for their support. He didn't know what he would've done had he been betrayed by all of them, not just by Sam.

His gaze then drifted away from his team and to other occupants of the hall.

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	2. Chapter 2

Hey, thanks for the reviews, keep them coming!

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Hammond and Siler were sitting together at a table in a nearby corner. Hammond was in only his short-sleeved dress blues shirt and pants and Siler in his jumper. With no wrench in sight... Briefly Jack wondered what had the man done with his beloved tool, whom had he entrusted it for these few hours? His hand was in bandages from yet another accident in which he had almost cut it off. But Jack had noticed that the rate of his accidents had dropped considerably since Janet's death and thus Jack suspected that the bespectacled man had nurtured feelings of decidedly unprofessional nature for the tiny woman with the big heart and even bigger... needles and will.

For such a tiny woman she was a force to be reckoned with, her will, determination and strength of personality having made her even larger than Teal'c. And more feared as well. While Teal'c could make a person freeze with his glare, Janet had been able to make a person's reproductive organs, no matter whether inner or outer, shrivel and fall off with just her glare.

As the Technical Sergeant and the Major General raised their glasses with somber, sad expressions Jack raised his beer bottle as well. He knew whom they were toasting to and the three men's eyes locked in a gaze of shared pain. They threw back their drinks in unison and Jack's eyes momentarily went to the floor to blink back a fresh onslaught of grief. The past months had been horrible, first Sam's moving on and then Janet's death, Jack didn't know how much he was still able to take before he'd break.

Where's the point of fighting if you just lose everything and everyone in the process? Why should _he _lose everyone that meant something to him, a past lover and his very own future with another woman, just so some nameless, faceless people could live in ignorance of what he'd gone through, what he'd sacrificed for them? Jack was seriously starting to believe that they didn't deserve such a sacrifice from him and was reconsidering his path in life, his choices and the reasons why he was still in the Air Force.

His sour musings took him over to the tables with off-duty nurses where an equally morbid and heavy atmosphere was weighing on the present medical staff. The reason for their sad disposition was clear, they were thinking of their fallen leader, and Jack moved on quickly before he could be swallowed by grief again.

The next table was the table of the Force Recon Marines of SG-3. 'Stupid Jarheads.' Jack thought fondly, watching the loudest crowd at the party have fun. They weren't particularly smart, being dust-biters and Marines on top of that, but they sure packed a hell of a punch and were always there when needed. There were only a few things Jack was more happy about than seeing these burly men come to the rescue guns blazing and testosterone flowing.

Sam's science staff was cloitered around another table in a corner of the large room, talking excitedly about who knows what. Actually, Jack _really_ **didn't **want to know what new invention was being born in their sick minds.

Hell, even the former Soviet leader Nikita Hrushchev had said in an interview given to a japanese reporter that we must fear what's in the files of scientists. Apparently he'd seen with his own eyes an experiment being conducted just minutes before and it had shaken him up so terribly that he had practically collapsed into a chair before having given that statement to the reporter. USSR had immediately denied their leader having said anything like that and that had been the last time he'd been allowed to give interviews... Jack had enough experience and therefore healthy mistrust against the government (any government) that he had a pretty good idea as to why.

Finally Jack's eyes fell on his favorite kind of geeks.

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The Astronomers.

The SGC had a rather small Astronomy department, partly because they needed them and partly not to arouse suspicion as to why a programme about Deep Space Radar Telemetry didn't have Astronomers.

These were the kind of people he genuinely liked and he counted himself among them. Different people, different characters, but all bound together by their shared love for the stars. These were also the people he spent most of the time with on-duty when his duties as the leader of SG-1 and 2IC of the SGC left him with time on his hands.

Neither of his science twins knew that their old man wasn't the dumb soldier he liked to pretend to be, the two were just too arrogant and full of themselves as only scientists who know they are extremely smart can get, believing they are the top of the evolutionary scale and better and smarter than everyone, refusing to believe that other people are smart as well. Arrogancy is a trait common to many very intelligent people and because of that Jack didn't hold it against them.

Only a few people on the base knew his real credentials. Dumb, uneducated soldiers don't make Colonels, much less leaders of the world's premier off-world team and Seconds In Command of Earth's first line of defence. Hell, they don't even survive a year in Black Ops, much less 20 years as Jack had. Hammond knew about his education, because he knew Jack's record except for his Spec Ops and Black Ops service/missions and Janet because she'd realized early on after they'd gotten together that he was smart, and had questioned him once, using some _very _persuasive tactics. Cassie and Teal'c knew only that Jack was smarter than he let on, but not his credentials, because they were both very perceptive and observant people.

Jack had a doctorate in Astronomy, as well as a Master's in Particle Physics. He knew that Sam and Daniel thought that he had that state-of-the-art, extremely sophisticated and expensive telescope and observatory on his roof just to observe his younger female neighbors when they were naked in the shower, but they couldn't be more wrong. He'd graduated from the Academy with honors and had then continued what he'd started in the Academy by pursuing a further education in Astronomy. Then came his time with Special Operations and a few years later Black Operations. During his time in Black Ops he'd been selected because of his education in Astronomy to be further educated and assigned to the command's experimental NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team, later renamed into Nuclear Emergency Support Team) unit. For that he'd had to get the correct education and thus his Master's in Particle Physics. He was presently working on his doctorate, but because of his work it was a slow going. Still, he was determined to get there. Because of that he now occasionally taught a class at the Academy on the topic.

Jack was far from dumb, the act that he'd been successfully keeping up for years was aimed against and was fooling only the arrogant, the self-absorbed and the dumb and it was still working marvelously. It really give him an edge over his enemies.

Which all translates to is that he already knew most of what Sam had explained to him over the years. There was no need for her to explain things to him except for the fact that he loved listening to her and found her really damn hot when she was trying to simplify things for him. The passion in her voice when she was talking about Physics had always managed to turn him on.

And what could be better than having the undivided attention of the woman you love?

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	3. Chapter 3

I _know_ there's no alcohol allowed on military bases and that military personnel are prohibited from inhibiting any kind of intoxicants in the 24 hours before their shift, but it's needed for this fic.

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His colleagues at the Astronomy department were all good people, each with their own quirks, flaws and strengths.

Considering their passion for their work it was a wonder that so many of them were even married. Some had gotten married before the SGC, some during their tenure here and some even amongst the team. Dr Dana Waters and Dr Dirk Leonhard were two of the later category. They'd met and fallen in love with each other when they'd both come to the SGC. Jack had always envied them the freedom from the regs, by both being civilians, the freedom to love and be with the one they loved. After two years of marriage they were still in their honeymoon phase, making Jack wistfully remember the early years of his and Sara's marriage.

She was a damn good woman, especially for having put up with him, much less loved him, for so many years and she didn't deserve what he'd put her through. Not with his continuous absences because of his career and not with the way he'd closed her off after Charlie's death. She was married now to a good man, one even Jack approved of, had been for 4 years and had 3 year old twins. Jack was happy for her.

He suddenly felt a presence by his right side and smiled warmly at the person slouching against the wall with a glass of champagne in her hand. She returned his smile readily.

He'd always liked Major Doctor Rachel Hamilton, ever since she'd transferred to the SGC's Astronomy department 5 years ago, because her personality appealed to him immensely. She was extremely intelligent, her IQ was right up there with Sam's, and, even with the way she looked, she was not an easy nor wanton woman and no-one could ever claim that she was having one night stands or casual sexual affairs. To a traditional and serious man as Jack that seriousness about relationships appealed even more than her looks. She also had a wicked sense of humor, much like his, and always laughed at his jokes. He laughed at her jokes as well, so sue him...

Okay, so she wasn't perfect. She liked South Park instead of the Simpsons, but she did think that Mr Burns was a lot like a Goa'uld, so she wasn't a hopeless case. And while she didn't like fishing as a sport she liked the relaxation it offered and always threw the fish back in if she accidentaly (pun intended) caught something. She _got fishing_, something that pleased Jack immensely. He always said that it's not about the fish, but about the fishing.

She didn't like hockey, too violent and who likes to watch guys dressed up in full body armor, but not a face-protecting helmet (why don't they have these?), beat the crap out of their opposition with fists and sticks, anyway? But she did like figure-skating, which was also an ice-bound sport, so in Jack's opinion she made up for the hockey thing in that aspect. She was possessive of her lab equipment and was in love with her golden 1998 Renault Laguna, which she'd picked up during her trek through Europe for which she'd taken all the leave time she'd been able to get. She didn't like Jell-O and her comment that it was made out of ground pig bones had had Jack starting to reconsider his love of the gellatine as well. What with all the hype all over the world about the dangerous cattle, pig and bird diseases lately... And ever since they'd become friends and worked together occasionally she'd been subtly working on him to change his diet to a more healthy one. Red meat was one casualty of her presistence and a reduced consumption of cake (as well as Jell-O) was another, but even Jack had to admit that he was getting older and too much cholesterol and fattening foods would kill him too soon. But even with all her outdoorsy love she still radiated sophistication and utter femininity and would fit in with a high society crowd just as well, with her knowledge of manners and behaviour, as in the crowd at O'Malley's. She was the type of woman that would look as fantastic and feel as comfortable in old jeans and a T-shirt as in an expensive evening dress. In Jack's opinion the guy she would eventually marry would be a damn lucky bastard.

But even though he liked her sharp intellect and alluring personality he was still a man and had to admit that the other men on the base weren't the only ones who's eyes were drawn to the young (she was a couple of years younger than Sam - he couldn't help but compare every woman he was attracted to with the woman he loved) woman's assets.

Even with her slightly above average height she had a small bone constitution resulting in a very beautiful face with delicate features. Small bone structure also meant that she had the perfect hour glass figure.

While Sam had a large bones constitution and thus wider ribcage and waist and hips and thus her not-so-small breasts somehow looked small in her large rib cage; Rachel had a narrower rib cage, which provided just the right aesthetic support for her chest, and a tiny waist. From what Jack could tell with her black T-shirt revealing their shape and size, Rachel's breasts were perfect - their shape, their roundness, their size, their weight, the size of her nipples and, while they would look small on Sam and any other larger-than-Rachel woman; with Rachel's small bones constitution and slimmer body they were of the perfect size to have her T-shirt stretch quite nicely around them.

Her long toned legs ended with delicate ankles on one side and a high, tight butt on the other. Her graceful neck and completely femininely muscled arms completed the package that had most of the men on base picking up their jaws and fetching buckets for their drool when she was returning from the gym all sweaty and flushed in her all-black work out outfit comprised of lycra shorts and a lycra tank top. As far as Jack had been able to deduct she was not the starved type of slim, but the fit, femininely muscular type of slim, something that Jack preferred much more to the type where the women looked like they hadn't eaten in years and bones, instead of muscle, were the ridges under the skin.

Like Jack she had a tan all-year-long due to her olive skin, thick long brown hair and large deep chocolate eyes, topped with long black lashes.

And those soulful beautiful eyes were staring into Jack's right now.

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	4. Chapter 4

AN: Don't you just hate it when a writer puts in a pairing that grosses you out, but they don't warn you about it? A few weeks ago I was reading a fic that was stamped with only Jack/Other, but then halfway into it we found out that it was also Sam/Daniel (I personally hate that pairing)! And I've just aborted reading an JS trilogy, by a writer I never encountered before, about SJ taking important positions on a Tok'ra planet. First part, relationship develops, second part takes place two years after and we find out that Sam had a kid, but NOT Jack's!!! It's MARTOUF'S!! kid. Gross. And there was no kind of warning or anything. Jack had just proposed to Sam and then she went and cheated on him with that creepy slimy snakehead and got pregnant (very OOC for Sam, btw.). I thought I was gonna puke when I realized who her kid's father was. I was out of there so fast that I left tracks. Contrary to my MO I didn't even leave a review. Some writers just don't have the decency and common courtesy to warn readers beforehand about pairings they KNOW turn many people off. After quickly checking that writer's other fics and noting the way that writer writes Jack and the obviously low opinion they have of him, I know I won't be reading that writer's work ever again.

I hope you'll like this part, loved the reviews, so keep it up.

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"Hello, Colonel." she smiled at him warmly, enjoying being in his company.

"Hello, Major." Jack returned the smile and a comfortable silence followed.

They were quiet for a few minutes, just thinking and sipping their drinks. Jack had conversed with her many times during the last 5 years and had strangely never needed to fill in the silences, like he did with other women, even with Carter.

After a few minutes she sighed softly. "You know, I really wish you'd finally see the light and realize how much better South Park is over the Simpsons." She'd deliberately avoided even mentioning the somber mood of the party and the quite obvious reason for it, knowing that it was something he didn't like to dwell on. Their tiffs about South Park and Simpsons had on the other hand been going on for a while and they were still amusing. Somehow they had managed to create a routine when one would try to convince the other of the advantages of the their favorites animated show. "They have very sophisticated critiques towards different aspects of society and prejudices."

"Yeah." snorted Jack, not surprised how in tune she was. Over the past few years he'd asked himself several times if the woman wasn't perhaps an empath, because she was somehow capable of accurately sensing a mood in people and adjusted accordingly. He didn't want to talk about why he was so somber and she respected that. Which is why she'd chosen to lighten up the atmosphere a bit.

"It wouldn't hurt you to expand your horizons, Colonel." she smiled impishly and Jack couldn't help but return the grin.

"Oh, Major, I will." he could see the pleased surprise on her lovely face and hated the fact that he was about to disappoint her. "When you watch the Simspons."

Rachel laughed and lightly swatted Jack's arm, both too relaxed by the alcohol to register that such a move reeked of familiarity and was not appropriate for a superior/subordinate interaction.

"Tried the punch yet, Colonel?" he could _hear_ the smile in her voice.

"Ah. No. I'd rather stay sober tonight." he commented with a grin.

"Aaaah, that's why you're drinking beer. Since it's so non-alcoholic." she snarked sarcastically with a smile.

"Well, considering that I just saw Matthews pour a bottle of Vodka into it, it definitely has less alcohol than beer. This beer is just, what, 6 percent?" he looked down at the bottle.

Rachel's graceful eyebrows raised. "Matthews, sir? You must be mistaken. It was Louis with a Tequila and Carpenter with a Whiskey that I saw refilling the bowl."

They looked at each other when realization struck.

"Oh, crap." Jack groaned.

As one they turned and marched over to the table to rescue the situation and their co-workers's sobriety.

However, when they arrived there they realized they were already too late. The punch bowl was almost empty.

"For crying out loud!" Jack cursed, while Rachel just sighed and looked around, noticing that several people were already unsteady on their feet.

"We're too late, sir." she commented needlessly.

"Ya think?" he grumbled, but thankfully she knew him well enough not to take offence at his tone.

They looked around, somehow both of their eyes gravitating towards the makeshift dancefloor. But neither said it, Rachel still not drunk enough to have the courage to ask and Jack floating in that ether when he couldn't decide what to do.

Should he still be waiting for Sam or should he try to let go of her and move on? Didn't matter, he was starting to feel the effects of alcohol and with how hurt he'd been by Sam and the fact that he was forced to see that schmuck constantly glued to her had made his emotions too raw.

With these emotions being so exposed and with alcohol in his blood he wasn't sure he would've been able to maintain control of his emotions and hormones if he'd hold a warm, living, willing woman in his arms.

With him being on the rebound and with the General and others around that would definitely be a very bad idea. He didn't want to hurt Rachel, either emotionally or career-wise, so he kept his mouth shut and his eyes away from the dancefloor.

In the end it was she that decided what they'd do as she'd lost her inner battle to just grab the man and drag him over to the rest of the dancers.

"I'll go grab a seat by the table. You should join us, Colonel, we can start making a plan for the next mission to set up an observatory." she invited him.

Jack smiled back at her. "Thanks, but not right now, I need a few minutes. But tell the gang that this is a party and no work is supposed to be done now. None. Whatsoever."

She inclined her graceful head. "Yes, sir. I'll see you then." He watched her as she went to the table, subtly admiring her alluring figure, and noticed that contrary to his instructions the gang had obviously started their planning session minutes ago, even without him and Rachel.

He shook his head and went back to his favorite piece of wall. These people really need to learn to relax.

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Reviews would be very nice.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for your reviews. Honestly, when I started this fic I didn't even expect any because of the pairings and am thus very flattered that you like this fic. Also thanks to **AT Fan** for suggesting a way around the regs for our two heroes, but alas, this fic was already written and finished before I even started posting, with a solution already having been found and implemented. Still, thank you.

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He never did join their table later on, knowing he was not good company tonight. But he did see Rachel glance towards him quite a few times as if she was deciding on something. Many times it coincided during and after some particularly passionate talking by the slightly tipsy Dr Dana Leonhard.

Finally, just before midnight, she seemed to have decided and stood. Jack could see Dana had handed her something, but could not see what.

Then Rachel turned to him and, after squaring her shoulders, moved towards him with a strong step.

When she stopped in front of him Jack could easily recognize the determined expression on her lovely face. He raised his eyebrow questioningly. It still amazed him just how much the entire team had taken over some of Teal'c's mannerisms.

"Colonel, it's taken me a while to screw up the courage, so please don't hurt me." she whispered. Somehow he had the feeling that she didn't mean physical hurt.

Then he stopped thinking because she pulled a mistletoe from behind her back, levered it in the air above him and pulled his head down, taking his lips in a passionate kiss.

Jack was drunk just enough not to be able to break the kiss off and so he fell into it, forgetting everything about where they were. Thankfully most of the partygoers, except for a few of their Astronomy colleagues, had already left, together with the General, SG-1 and Sam's stalker; so they weren't in any danger of being arrested for what they were doing. There's also Jack's old habit from Spec Ops in trying to evade cameras, he was namely standing in a surveillance camera's blindspot.

When Rachel finally released his lips she pulled back only a little and looked into his face, her hands still on it and his hands around her waist. Both were breathing harshly and flushes had taken over their faces. Lower down, she could feel just what an effect she had on him and it gave her a measure of hope.

"Colonel..." she shook her head, deciding that it was stupid to call him that for the conversation she was hoping to start. "Jack... I've been wanting to say this for a very long time now and the time it's taken me to actually screw up enough courage to say this to you now has taken weeks, so believe me this is not some spontaneous act or something done under the influence of alcohol." She paused and closed her eyes, taking a breath to steel herself. Then her eyes snapped open and she rocked his world. "I have feelings for you, Jack. Deep, strong and already-long-lasting feelings. I'm asking you out on a date, a dinner, this Friday. I know you don't want to break the regs, but if we talk to the General I'm sure he'll find a solution. That is if you want me at all."

It took him quite a while before he could recover enough from the shock to be able to even think clearly. Then he took a few seconds to form his answer correctly, while being aware that Rachel was starting to get agitated. "Rachel, I don't want to hurt you or use you, and definitely not lose you, nor your friendship, because of this, but you should be aware that I'm on a rebound." Jack said, looking into her eyes seriously.

She nodded, her eyes sparkling. "I know you are." she thought of Sam and Shanahan. "That's why it'll be just dinner as friends. And until you've moved on and are ready for more, we'll work on just our friendship."

She grew shy then, her dark eyes breaking contact. "I've had feelings for you ever since I met you, Jack, and I want this to work. That's why I'll do anything for us to work in the long run, even wait for years if you'll need them."

Jack gently lifted her chin with his finger until she would look at him. "You're the most amazing woman I've ever met." he murmured and was delighted to see her flush. "That's why you rejected every guy on base since you came?" she blushed heavier, but didn't look away as she nodded.

Jack was silent with awe at the deeper meaning revealed itself to him. This went deeper for Rachel than just 'having feelings' for him. To reject every man for five years, not once react positively to a come on, meant that there was a hell of a lot more going on here than a mere crush. She loved him, was in love with him and it was as clear as day. It was enough to make him incredibly humble.

"Wow." Jack whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. Rachel waited fearlessly for his decision. She had taken the step, had exposed herself and revealed her feelings to him, and was now patiently waiting for him to break the shock and get control of himself, so he could decide and answer her. This was a strong, courageous woman, a true warrior. Jack's respect for her grew even more.

"We've become good friends over the years, Rachel, and I cherish this over everything." he started.

"But..." she continued for him, fear of getting her heart broken evident in her eyes, but still standing strong.

Jack shook his head. "No buts. You're an amazing woman and if I hadn't been so hung up on Carter I would've fallen in love with you a long time ago."

Her eyes teared at his admission and her chin trembled slightly at the thought that she was in sight of what she'd been wanting for years, namely love, life and happiness with one Jack O'Neill.

"I would like to see what we can have." Jack spoke finally and Rachel thought her heart would burst from happiness and tears filled her eyes. "But I want us to go slow, very slow, so there's no need to get Hammond involved for now. Hurting your or using you as a rebound is the last thing I want to do. And I am on a rebound right now, from being dumped by a woman I was never really with but believed I had a future with. We'll go slow, work on our friendship and when the time is right, we'll go for it. That okay with you?"

With a teary smile she nodded and then her eyes fluttered closed in preparation for what would be the last kiss in months.

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	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for your amazing reviews, I love them. Next chappie will be at least two times longer and a completely different scene, and doesn't even take place immediately after this scene, so I decided to isolate this scene.

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Jack's sad eyes stared at them as the pod closed. "Aveo, mei amici."

"Goodbye, my friends." translated Daniel with a choked voice.

Just before he was frozen in his eternal slumber Jack whispered the name with such love that it brought tears to his friends' eyes and a lump of regret to Sam's throat.

"Rachel."

Because of her decisions and actions it was not her name, but another woman's that he'd whispered when he'd been preparing to depart this life. Had she repressed her feelings for him and eventually given up on him, instead had acted on them and not just thought of what would happen had she given in to them, she was sure he would've now said her name.

She was starting to realize that Pete was a mistake. A mistake that had cost her the greatest man she'd ever known, had cost her their friendship and mainly the promise of the greatest and most fulfilling relationship of her life.

Because with the tone in which he'd said the name and the loving look in his eyes she was sure that the Colonel was lost to her forever, even if he wasn't frozen. He was in love with another woman and it was as clear as ice. She'd lost her safe bet. The safe bet she was sure would've been waiting for her if her relationship with Pete ever failed. Now it was gone and only now did she realize just how much he'd meant to her and how empty and unsatisfying her relationship with the cop truly was.

The light then vanished from his eyes as they continued to stare blindly at some invisible spot, the love for the beautiful Astronomer still quite visible on his lifeless face.

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Rachel's hand trembled from barely repressed grief as she reached out to touch the ice that held in it's grip the man she'd come to love over the last 6 years and had been building a firm friendship with over the past few months.

They'd had many wonderful moments, moments that she would forever treasure and cherish. For as long as she lived.

They'd been working on their friendship and common points and had slowly been nearing the point where they'd be ready for more.

She'd noticed Jack giving her more attention, his looks lingering on her, touches on her shoulders and on her forearms getting longer, the beginning of him putting his hand on her lower back whenever they went somewhere, his possessive and territorial manner around her towards men who showed interest in her, but never restrictive to her, his eyes were softer when he looked at her and all those little nuances that had been giving her so much hope these past few weeks that he had moved on from Major Carter and was becoming ready for a relationship with her, Rachel. She was glad they'd waited, the fact that he'd wanted to take it slow and to insure she wasn't a rebound for him had made her love him even more; but now it looked like she'd lost him forever to some frozen water and beings that had been dead for a millenium.

But no matter how many wonderful moments they'd shared they would never be enough. A lifetime of moments, a lifetime of life and love and happiness with Jack would not be enough. Even eternity with him would never be enough.

Hot tears suddenly escaped her tight control over her emotions and tore down her face as sobs took over her body slim body, now so small and frail-looking in her grief and loss.

Behind her Daniel was hovering uncertainly. He wasn't certain what his friend's relationship was with this woman that had almost the entire male population of the base enchanted, but her feelings were pretty clear right this moment. Jack was a damn lucky bastard and when, not if, they got him unfrozen he would make sure he'd tell him that.

"Your name was the last thing he said." he told her, knowing that it would be important to her.

She knew what that meant and she knew she would've done the same had she been in Jack's place. Because she loved him. Because he loved her.

This caused Rachel to sob even harder. She'd been the only thing on his mind before he got frozen...

A cry of pain and devastation tore out of her chest and she crumpled to the floor by the feet of the man she loved, hugging her knees and giving in to her grief and fear that she'd never get him back.

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	7. Chapter 7

Happy new year!

Loved the reviews, please keep them up. They give me motivation to write more fics and to become a better writer. And I'm bored, and a review means a little interaction with someone new or someone I already know. And it also means some human interaction in which my family is sorely lacking today (they've spent the better part of today sleeping), and I'm not in the mood to go out in minus ten degrees Celsius for some interaction in a bar and all of my friends are out of town.

As promised, this part is much longer. This will get me reviews, won't it? I'm bored, wake me up before I fall asleep here and maybe that way I'll come up with a good title and summary for a JAG Harm/Meg fic I have already completed. 

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Rachel was working in her lab with the listlessness and disinterest that had become characteristic for her over the past few months, even to the point that the new CMO had become concerned.

But no medicine can cure a grieving heart and even three months after Jack had been frozen tears would still well up and a sob would still break out whenever she thought of him. Which was nearly every minute.

She'd lost weight and the bags under her eyes were a constant feature on the now haggard face. She was still a beautiful woman, but the grief was obvious in every feature of her body and every move she made. Her life had become a routine, so different than when Jack had still been there with them, and she moved like a robot from one errand to another, not having any enthusiasm in life anymore.

The only feeling except for grief and heartache that she was still able to feel, was hope that they would find the Asgard and that Jack's little buddy, of whom the man was so very fond of, would be able to help Jack and bring him back to her.

And just because she was not SG-1 and was too personally involved she was not allowed to join in the effort to get help for the Colonel.

Too personally involved... why did they then allow SG-1 to be involved? But teammates are viewed differently by the military than lifemates.

True, she and Jack hadn't been dating, yet, much less were married, but in all honesty she was mourning like only a true mate, something not even many spouses were, would be capable of. She was sure that if Jack was dead for real, never to return, she would die herself from grief.

She remembered a documentary on wolves she'd seen a few years back. Wolves mate for life and when one of the mates dies, the other will soon follow. It will die from grief. It will mourn and miss it's mate so much that it will stop eating and begin sleeping increasingly longer, until one day it won't wake up.

The first time this analogy had come to her Rachel had scoffed, but with each passing day she was beginning to see more and more why it happened with the wolves.

Her friends tried to get her to start living again, they tried to get her out of the lab, to get her to come with them to a bar or do something else, but she was already too lethargic and the promise of sleep was becoming more and more attractive. The only thing that was keeping her from going to sleep and never waking up was the fact that Jack wasn't dead yet, though what he was going through couldn't be called 'life' either.

Two pictures, one of him alone and one of them together, the one that had been taken during the past few months, were standing on her desk in her lab and another set of copies on the nightstand in her on-base quarters, where she now spent most of her nights, and at her apartment, where she had more pictures of him and them together. They were there to remind her why she had to keep on going, why she was not allowed to give in, why she had to fight and live. Jack was still alive and would be coming back. She had to keep hope alive.

On the other hand she was seriously considering asking Daniel Jackson that when he died again, to put in a good word for Jack with the Ancients, to convince them to tell her how to save Jack.

Or to just give her the chance to join him until they could both be rescued.

Somehow Rachel had the feeling that Jack's conciousness wasn't in stasis until he could be de-frosted, but that he was probably up there with the Ascended. Jack was practically an Ancient and the Ancients who had built the weapon knew what would happen to them once they'd use it. So, it was only logical for them to insure that their consciousness would still be active, perhaps on another plane of existence, waiting there until it could return to it's living, de-frosted, body.

Would the Ascended, but mostly the Oma Desala of whom she'd heard so much, took pity on her and allow her to join Jack where-ever he was until they could both be rescued, if they wouldn't be willing to rescue him?

To top it off, everyone on the base knew that they'd been spending almost all of their off-duty time together, albeit as friends. That was enough for TPTB to put Rachel in the same category as wives... to be fed an occasional bit of information in order to try to keep her on the leash and to stop her from rocking the boat, like going to the media with how callous and wasteful the military was even with the personnel that were stationed on home soil and not in a foreign country fighting for their country's economic interests.

On the other hand, she wasn't allowed to mourn openly because she and Jack weren't married, they hadn't even been dating. Dating would require a permission from Hammond and they hadn't been that far yet. As far as Hammond was concerned, he didn't know anything about any romantic relationship between them.

Jack had told her that Hammond had called him to him and had asked him about their relationship. Jack had explained to him that in the light of recent events (this is the beauty of 'don't ask, don't tell', both Jack and George knew what he was talking about, but because Jack didn't come right out and say it there was no reason for repercussions) and the steady degradation of SG-1, each of them slowly going their own way, Jack had realized that if he did nothing he would end up alone and lonely, without any friends, when SG-1 broke up if he did nothing about it. Thus Jack was working on his existing acquaintances to turn them into friendships. That had satisfied Hammond.

But the minute she'd mourn him like a lover and not a friend in public, considering that what public was concerned she and Jack were only friends, she and Jack would have to pay the price for breaking frat regs by not having gotten permission from their CO first. There was no doubt that the enemies of Jack and SG-1 would take advantage of it and probably courts-martial him even in absentia. And she needed to be here, needed to be here when Jack was returned. Yes, in private practice she would have a paycheck several times larger than what she had in the Air Force and would get more recognition from her peers, yes what they did at the SGC was thrilling and she was honored to be among the few that were deemed good enough to be a part of it, but now she was coming to realize that she was still in this just because of Jack.

A career can be a wonderful thing, but in the end it can not fill your heart with love, it can't compete with having a child with the person you truly love, it can't compete with the love you feel when you see your soulmate play and interact with your child(-ren), career won't ever warm your bed, it's mere presence won't ever prevent you from feeling lonely and alone, career won't be there when you're old and lonely if you've chosen it over love.

These thoughts had Rachel to think about the possible future and be happy about the fact that she wasn't permanently assigned to any SG team. If she'd get married and had a family there would be no chance of leaving Jack a widower and their children motherless. And, while she'd miss it slightly, she'd have no regret if she'd ever choose to resign from the Air Force and the SGC for the good of her family.

She was not given more than just bare scraps of info, nor allowed too close to the search, she'd had to fight like a lioness for even that one single visit to the Antarctic, even though she was assigned to the same command, was an officer and a professional and wasn't married to Jack.

Just because she loved the man it was believed that she either wouldn't be able to handle the stress or would put him ahead of mission objectives.

So out of it she was that she never noticed the bright light that suddenly filled her lab until she heard the sweetest sound she could ever think of. The sound of Jack's voice.

"You know, a guy goes away for a couple of months and when he comes back people act like he doesn't exist."

She froze in shock and certainty that she was just hearing what she wanted to hear.

"Gonna give me some serious complex here."

Okay, this was getting spooky. Figuring that she had nothing to lose anymore (except for her sanity of which she wasn't certain she was still in possession of) she slowly turned around and felt her throat suddenly clog from overwhelming emotions at seeing Jack standing there, devouring her with his eyes before they narrowed in concern.

"Rachel?" Jack was looking her up and down, examining her more closely. What he saw worried him. Plainly put, she looked awful.

"You don't look so good."

At his words she managed to shake off her stupor and with tears in her eyes she strode over to him.

Jack's face widened with a smile which turned into shock and hurt when she slapped him hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" he cried out, pressing a hand to his burning cheek, but bit off any futher words when tears started rolling down her face like a torrent and she started shaking like a leaf in wind.

"YOU! You go and do something stupid like that and then you go and get frozen for months, leaving me behind. You were practically dead, you bastard! And then you're gone for three months and I'm not even allowed to mourn because we're not even involved and then you come back and the only thing you say is that I don't look so good!?" her voice was steadily rising through her tirade, until she was shrieking at the top of her lungs. But that wasn't what shocked Jack the most.

Rachel never babbled. Rachel didn't do the babble at all. The only time he could remember her coming close to babbling had been when he'd almost gotten killed by some drunk moron who'd mistaken the sidewalk for the road and had almost run Jack down before Rachel's horrified eyes 4 months after Christmas.

The fact that she was now babbling spoke volumes of how she'd been affected by the events of the last three months and Jack felt suitable chastened. He'd known that was the wrong thing to say the minute it had left his mouth, but he'd been so overwhelmed by emotions upon seeing her again after he'd thought that he'd never see her again, that his emotional-defence mechanism had kicked in and had him say something stupid, like ti normally did in emotionally charged circumstances. He just didn't deal with strong emotions well.

She was about to hit him again, but Jack intercepted her arm and pulled her against him, immobilizing her. She stood there for a second frozen and then broke down completely.

Jack held her in his arms as she sobbed, finally experiencing a cathartic release of months of grief and other pent up emotions; his hand stroking her hair comfortingly while he whispered soothing words into her ear.

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	8. Chapter 8

Loved the reviews, please keep them up!

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Finally when the worst of the storm was over Jack pushed her away slightly. She resisted, wanting to stay in his arms, but this was too important.

When she was far enough away so he could look into her dear tear-streaked face his hands cupped her cheeks and with his thumbs he wiped the tears away. "When I was in that pod and became a human popsicle I could only think of you and our time together. And the only thing I regretted about you is never having told you that I love you." A sob broke out of her again at hearing his words and he smiled tenderly. "Yes. I, Jack O'Neill, love you, Rachel Hamilton, with all my heart." He smiled his crooked grin then "Never thought you'd hear me say that, did ya?"

But Rachel ignored his glib comment and pressed her lips to his in an emotion-filled kiss, breaking it off only to say. "I love you too, you infuriating man." Then she sealed his lips with hers again.

They kept at it until they were both dizzy from lack of oxygen. "When I was on Thor's ship after having gotten revived I had a lot of time to think in his medical pod. I've come to several realizations."

He decided not to mention the fact that Thor had also made an overhaul of his body, giving him several new organs, such as a new heart and lungs for example, something Jack was sure was going to make Rachel very happy for several reasons, not just Jack's longer life-span (which was very welcomed and would come in handy since he was older than she) and healthier life. Thor had even offered to clone a new body for him, since he'd been the one to put in the marker and could thus remove it. Besides, Thor had taken samples of Jack's DNA, when Jack had met the Asgard for the first time, and had secretly guarded them all these years.

Now, to his own great delight Thor had found out that Jack had finally found himself a mate with whom he was fairly serious, something Thor had given up on when he'd heard about Sam's involvement with Shanahan. He could still not believe how such a brilliant woman could chose to intervine her life and destiny with such an obviously inferior specimen.

The little alien had almost been rubbing his hands in glee at the news that Jack's genes would perhaps be passed on to a possible offspring. The Asgard did wish after all for the human race to evolve and Jack's advanced genetics played a key role in this plan. Giving Jack a new body would just insure that humanity would not lose one of it's most important members. And this body would be without a consciousness of it's own until Jack's was transferred there.

He had also instructed Jack to tell Rachel that the offer of an overhaul and of a new body went for her as well. After all, as a woman of superior intellect and as Jack's mate she was important to Earth as well as to the Asgard. But Jack didn't think that this moment was the right one to mention it to her, though he did think that if his genetics could stop the gradual degradation of the clones, eternity with Rachel by his side would be a paradise. He'd mention the offer to her later when things had calmed down somewhat.

"One of them you know, namely that I'm in love with you, alongside the fact that I love you. The second was that our off-duty time together had been the best time of my life in years and that I want to spend as much time with you in the future as possible. And this has led me to a decision. I know we've only been dating as friends for a few months and that we're fairly new, but I we've been friends and had known each other for 6 years and I know we'll work out in the long haul. Hell, Oma Desala herself told me that while I was frozen. Btw., I really have to tell you about an side-effect of the pod, but right now it's not important. I know the timing isn't perfect, that you deserve an expensive restaurant and perfect ambient, not to mention the ring, which you will get, and me in a suit, but I can't wait any longer. I'll do that later, but I really have to ask you this right now before another catastrophe comes along and interferes with my plans. So, Major Doctor Rachel Hamilton, will you do me the honor to consent to become my wife and the mother of my children?"

For once in her life Rachel was truly stunned. Her eyes had turned to saucers and her mouth was gaping open, while she was trying to figure out how to make her vocal chords to produce sound. The waterworks had naturally started up again. Finally she pulled herself back together enough to smile blindingly at him and responded. "Yeasureyoubetcha, snookums!"

That was all either of them spoke for a while because they were too busy making out like teenagers.

When they finally broke apart it was due to some strange noise they'd heard through the fog. Parting their lips with a 'plop', but not releasing each other from their embrace, they realized that they were hearing pounding on Rachel's locked lab doors and someone calling out their names. She looked at Jack bewildered.

"I... ah... I didn't stop by and let them know I'm back. I had Thor beam me directly here." he smiled sheepishly and Rachel shook her head in exasperation, but was still touched that he ignored everything, the chain of command, orders, protocol, everything, just for her. "Guess they found out I'm here from security." And he looked towards the security camera, that had recorded everything.

Rachel groaned as a deep blush settled on her beautiful face, realizing that they'd just put on some great makeout show for the security guys.

"Don't worry." he whispered into her ear. "I'll just swing by the security room and bribe those guys to give me the tape and to keep their mouths shut."

Then the pounding resumed again and her features steeled.

"Oh, let them wait for a few minutes longer, you have something more important to do." she said determinedly. "Their questions can wait. But kissing my fiancee can't. Kiss me now or lose me forever, you big lug." she ordered him and he happily obeyed, the pounding on the door fading as their kiss took them away.

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	9. Chapter 9

Loved the reviews, please keep them coming.

Okay, this is the end, my friends. The last chappy. Went full-on sappy with this one, hope you can forgive me. Thank you for giving this fic a chance, even though it's not what I normally write and it's not Jack/Sam shippy. I have plans of writing more stories about how Rachel and Jack could get together, if I somehow manage to break through my writer's block with the ones I've already started.

You also get to find out how I resolved the issue of fraternization.

I have my own copy of frat regs on my PC which I use for my fics, I talked to current and ex personnel via the net, have lurked attentively when this exact topic was discussed on samandjack group with some on-duty personnel logging in and putting their 2 cents in and one of my readers is a Navy JAG who occasionally helps me with issues.

The way they dealt with chain of command and Jack being her CO is the way this topic is dealt with in real life and also the way it is outline in AFI36-2909 (the frat regs).

According to AFMPC-AF Mil Personnel Center as of September 2007 there are 19,357married couples with both spouses in the AF. With so many couples the chances that there would be none within the same chain of command is zero and you can't hide a marriage, because it shows up in personnel records. So, there obviously are ways that are employed to give them a chance to be together and stay in the same command and this is one of them.

Interesting excerpt from AFI36-2909 (article 8.1.) says that it's up to the CO to decide whether charges of fraternization will be brought against the couple and he is expressly instructed to do so only if it causes damage to the service or disrupts unit cohesion, good order and discipline in the office and mission accomplishment. Otherwise he is instructed to let the couple be... EVEN if it's a case of adultery!

Now, can anyone see Hammond charging Jack with fraternization?

Btw., does anyone know if a woman pregnant with triplets and that under circumstances that alone would make it a high-risk pregnancy, would be put on bed rest and at which month of pregnancy?

PPS: I found out a true shocker today. I was looking at Harleys on american ebay and realized that what I have is actually better than any Harley I could get for under 5000 dollars. Even though those Harley's displacement is 700 cc bigger, my little Yamaha XV 500 is still better looking and definitely in much better shape (and of the same physical size as well) than any Harley for under five grand. And I know my bike's history, know it had never been dropped or crashed or repainted anything like that, something that I could never be sure with those other bikes. And now that my vintage Goldwing has finally been restored, Harleys can just kiss my ass, they just can't compare. Will post a fic of it in a restored condition on my website (link is on my profile page) as soon as I get the chance to take some new photos in order to replace the pic of it in it's previous (very bad) condition.

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Rachel was fully aware of the silly grin on her face, but was completely incapable of wiping it off as she watched Jack being sworn in.

She had something to be happy about after all, Jack was getting his first star, two days after she had traded her golden Oak Leaves for silver ones, and she had thus even won the bet that they'd made a couple of years ago. He'd claimed that TPTB would never make _him_a General. Not him, the black sheep, the insubordinate and disliked Colonel and so forth. Rachel had then just grinned at him and proposed a bet, knowing that even TPTB were not so dumb as to not give their best field leader and a tactical and strategical genius the star he deserved. He had, with his low self-esteem and insecurities, of course taken the bet. She now had to come up with a really good idea for how he'd pay her. And with her new status and position in his life there were many ways she could come up with, many of them very pleasurable.

She was standing on the podium, as was her due, due to her position and importance; while even SG-1 was standing at attention among other teams in the Gate room.

Jack's pledge was over then and General Francis Maynard, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, turned to her. "Lieutenant Colonel O'Neill, would you do the honors?"

Yes, she was Lt. Col. Rachel O'Neill now. Even after their love confessions they'd skirted around the regs and had done nothing (not even kiss or go out on a date) until the short window of opportunity from the second Jack had been relieved of his duties as the 2IC of the base and CO of SG-1 till the moment he took command as the new General and commanding officer of Stargate Command.

During that brief time Jack was without an assignment, not on the SGC's roster and thus out of Rachel's chain of command.

Everything had been discussed and agreed upon between Jack and Rachel, Lieutenant General Hammond (Head of Homeworld Security), General Maynard (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and even the Air Force's Judge Advocate General Major General Thomas Mullins had been invited to the debate to give his professional advice in order to prevent them being persecuted for fraternization. This impressive selection of stars and brass had been necessary because one subject of the matter was practically a General and Generals deal with Generals on such matters. Jack had been days away from becoming a General himself (the star on the shoulder makes a big difference) and the CO of the world's first line of defence.

Rachel had felt pretty self-conscious and in a way naked because of her light rank, still a Major then, in a room full of Generals, especially policy-making Generals like the Chairman of the JCS himself. You can't get any higher in the US military than becoming the Chairman. Okay, so Jack hadn't been a General himself yet, but his irreverent attitude and inability of being intimidated by those five stars on Maynard's shoulders (oh, how she envied Jack that attitude) made him equal to the three Generals, especially since he'd been about to become one himself. And because of this personal involvement in Jack and Rachel's situation Maynard had come to do the promotions ceremony himself.

He was and always had been SGC's, Hammond's and SG-1's strongest supporter and seeing this command evolve into a stronger one, with with the newly created Homeworld Security, gave him joy.

After Jack had received his notice of being relieved of duty he had marched to Rachel's office, had her turn everything off and arrange a few days of vacation with Weir and had then dragged her out of the mountain by her hand.

In those few days they'd gone to one of Jack's old friends from the AF, who was now a Justice of Peace, and gotten married. Their honeymoon had been spent at his cabin in Minnesota. Not much fishing had been done. Thus they had taken advantage of a loophole with him not being assigned anywhere, being in-between two assignments, and when he came back they'd started working together as a married couple.

The Air Force Instruction 36-2909, the infamous frat regs, is even prepared for these kinds of situations, even with officer/enlisted couples, and because of that they had no problems, were completely legal and even protected by these same feared frat regs.

As per frat regs-approved and outlined scenario Rachel had then come under the direct command of her husband's CO, Lieutenant General George Hammond, the Head of the Homeworld Security. While Jack still had operational command of her, Hammond was now the one to whom she reported and who did fitreps and would recommend her for promotions and medals, so there was no case of fraternization anywhere. They were together and would stay together.

Forever.

With a smile she took off Jack's Silver Eagles and replaced them with the shiny new stars. Privately Jack intended to keep the eagles to give them to her when she got promoted to full Colonel.. Then Rachel rose up on her toes and took Jack's lips with her own in a congratulatory kiss that quickly got out of control and necessitated the Chairman to interrupt by clearing his throat. With an amused smile he said. "It seems that your honeymoon was too short. As soon as you do the paperwork take two additional weeks, General O'Neill, I'm sure Colonel Reynolds will be able to hold the fort in the meantime.. You too Colonel O'Neill." He ordered, lips twitching. "But for safety's sake take a satellite phone with you so you're reachable in case of an emergency."

Rachel felt her face flush dark red and in unison she and Jack thanked their superior. "Thank you, sir!" Then she whispered to Jack. "Congratulations, General O'Neill."

Jack smiled at her with a rakish grin. "Thank you, Colonel O'Neill."

With a smile she fell back to attention and saluted.

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Jack and Rachel were standing in the control room, holding onto each other with the intention of being in each other's arms being the last thing they'd experience.

In the background the countdown was swiftly, too swiftly, counting out.

Jack's hand migrated to Rachel's slightly swollen belly where their unborn child kicked in reaction, making their eyes mist at the thought that they would never be able to greet their son into this world, never even see him, watch as he'd take his first steps, say his first words,...

They locked their eyes and only had one more thing to say before death could come. "I love you." they whispered at the same time, happy with the fact that they had no regrets, except for their son having the chance to live a full life. They kissed with the heartbreaking emotion of soulmates knowing their time was up without having had the chance to experience at least forty years with each other.

Then suddenly the wormhole cut off and the next few minutes were filled with action and hesitant hope as the countdown was terminated and everyone was trying to figure out what had happened.

Later, when all the commotion was finally over, Jack made his way to his office where he could through the window see his pregnant wife sitting in his comfortable leather chair with her feet up waiting for him.

As she caught sight of him and smiled lovingly Jack's heart skipped a beat, before running at an increased pace, and he only had one thought in his mind.

He really had been given a miracle that Christmas and he knew that his life could not possibly be better.

And he owed it all to the steadfast devotion of one amazing Major who'd never given up on him.

Yep, SHE was his Christmas miracle.

THE END

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